This invention relates to tea brewers which unlike coffee brewers need among other requirements a predetermined steeping time for brewing an acceptable extract.
The invention contemplates a tea brewer which comprises a central control support, or pedestal assembly, and a pair of receptacles which are carried on the base of the pedestal and which are alternatively fillable from a brewing chamber which is shiftably carried by the pedestal into position to discharge the extract to a selected receptacle.
The invention primarily is directed to the fast food industry by providing a high volume tea making apparatus and dispensing successive batches of tea into alternate receptacles so that when one container is dispensing the tea, the other container is being filled with a fresh batch. The intent is to brew fresh batches in quantities sufficient to satisfy demand without the necessity of making large batches and then storing them in several containers and eventually discarding the deteriorated old brew.
In view of the difficulties in obtaining good restaurant help, it is necessary to provide equipment which requires minimum maintenance by the employees. It is imperative to provide equipment which will make a sufficient volume of brew to meet the customer demands without over producing, but in adequate quantities which can be replenished within a reasonable time with minimum attention by the employees.
A major problem with current brewing equipment, particularly for tea, is that, unlike coffee, the tea has to be steeped for a considerable length of time with a measured volume of hot water to obtain a quality extract in adequate quantities.
From experience it has been ascertained that preferably the equipment must be compact and that the best approach is to provide a single main unit and several satellite units comprising containers which are arranged to receive alternate batches of the extract.
As described in our common assignee's U.S. Pat. No. 4,621,571 for a coffee maker, the instant assembly utilizes a brew chamber which is adjustable to alternate positions about a vertical axis for vertical alignment with circumferentially offset receptacle containers, the brewing chamber having a discharge aperture in its bottom offset radially outward of the axis of rotation of the brewing basket. The discharge aperture is sized to discharge a volume of liquid from the chamber at a rate commensurate with the time requirement for steeping the tea placed in the chamber to provide a quality extract.
The invention appertains to brewing tea by means of a siphon type brewing device which brews the tea into an extract for mixing with a greater volume of dilutant such as cool water in the proportion of 1/4 concentrated tea extract to 3/4 water.
During steeping the hot water is maintained at a temperature of about 200 degrees F.
It has been learned that it is necessary to control the volume of extract to cold water dilutant in the proportion of one quarter extract to three quarters cool water dilutant to obtain a potable drink.
The invention also comprehends a novel water flow system to a heater tank for heating the water to 200 degrees F. which is conducted to the brewing chamber and separately is diverted to a holding tank in which the cold water and tea extract are proportioned.